


MIX TAPE

by Significant_What



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: College AU, Fluff, M/M, Short, alternative universe, mix tape, word count 1000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 19:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17987579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Significant_What/pseuds/Significant_What
Summary: ”We were watching that sit com you like”, Nico says, acting like he doesn’t know the show is called Friends or that it’s a classic and pretty much general knowledge. Will lets it go just this once because Nico looks like he wants the world to open up and swallow him whole. ”And – and there was that episode where one of the guys gives his girlfriend a mix tape. And you said you wished someone would make you one. So there.”





	MIX TAPE

**Author's Note:**

> on a totally unrelated note: i just binged all 10 seasons of friends in one week. for the third time this year. it's barely march and i need help.

The cassette tape drops on top of the book just as Will is about to turn a page. It makes an alarming amount of noise and almost slides off to the floor, but Will manages to catch it in time. He looks up to see Nico standing next to his table, hands in his pockets and eyes cast down, looking like he’s seriously considering turning around and leaving without explaining himself.

”Hey”, Will says because he hasn’t seen his boyfriend since Friday morning and he’s missed him. ”Where have you been?”

Nico shuffles his feet, still looking down, and his ears turn pink. He has a new pin on his leather jacket; it’s dark blue with something written in white, but it’s small enough that Will would have to be very close to read it. He isn’t. If he plays his cards right, he might be later tonight.

”I made you a mix tape.” Nico’s voice is low and soft and easy to miss. But this is a library – even a campus library is quiet enough that Will can hear him no problem. And what Will hears is that Nico made him a mix tape and suddenly his stomach feels funny and he feels like he’s in a romantic teen movie.

”A mix tape?” he asks, looking at the tape in his hands. It’s black, it looks like any other cassette he’s seen in his life, and the only word on the label is his name written in Nico’s scratchy handwriting. ”What’s this, 1998?” Will can’t help but tease, but he keeps his smile warm to let Nico know the gift is still appreciated.

Nico kicks one of the legs on the table and uses one finger to close Will’s text book. He takes a few steps closer until he’s standing right next to Will’s chair. His knee presses into Will’s thigh. The pin on Nico’s leather jacket says _Never make a decision when you need to pee_. Will wonders if Nico made this one himself with the badge machine Will knows he owns even though Nico tries to hide it in the back of his closet behind an unused winter jacket.

”We were watching that sit com you like”, Nico says, acting like he doesn’t know the show is called Friends or that it’s a classic and pretty much general knowledge. Will lets it go just this once because Nico looks like he wants the world to open up and swallow him whole. ”And – and there was that episode where one of the guys gives his girlfriend a mix tape. And you said you wished someone would make you one. So there.”

Will remembers the day. He thinks that the episode in question might not be the most romantic of examples since the mix tape tuned out to be a reused gift (and not even a very good one). But Will still remembers maybe possibly saying that a mix tape is one of the most romantic gifts he can think of. And that he missed the next two episodes because he was making out with Nico (but it’s okay because he knows every season by heart).

What Will is finding a little hard to believe that Nico actually made him one. Nico actually went out of his way to buy an old cassette, probably a player too, and went through the trouble to choose a tape full of songs that he thought Will would enjoy. It seems so incredibly out of character for Nico – and then again it doesn’t. It doesn’t at all. In the seven months the two of them have been dating, Nico has proved to be a lot more romantic and a lot more thoughtful than people give him credit for. He’s often the one to take Will’s hand in his during a movie to play with his fingers. He always leaves ready made breakfast in the fridge when he has to leave before Will in the morning. On their six month anniversary Nico bought Will six red roses and took him to a walk on the hill that overlooks the city.

Making a mix tape is very much a Nico thing to do, when Will properly thinks about it. But he still can’t believe it – it’s such a romantic gesture, not big for most but so meaningful for Will. To think that Nico heard him say that, and remembered, and then _acted_ on it… Will thinks he might be in love.

Will reaches a hand and hooks his fingers to the sleeve of Nico’s jacket. The leather feels nice, but what’s even nicer is that after a beat Nico laces their fingers together without a word.

”You made me a mix tape.” It’s not a question. Will can hear the sound of his own voice, the smitten lilt and adoring wonderment, and Nico’s face flushes to a beautiful shade of bright red.

”Yeah.” Nico’s fingers twitch, like he almost wants to let go of Will’s hand, but in the end they both hold on just a little bit tighter. Nico leans in closer, his knee brushing against Will no longer an accident of any kind. ”Do you – do you want to go listen to it in the car?”

Nico’s car. Nico’s old Chevy that has an old radio that will play the tape the way it’s supposed to be played. The Chevy that has a very nice front seat for making out and cuddling, and an even nicer back seat for something that involves not wanting to accidentally getting a gear stick to your ribs. The Chevy that Nico often drives to the edge of the city so they can watch the stars and Will can escape the hectic schedules of finals week. _That_ car.

”Does it have good make out songs on it?” The corners of Nico’s mouth turn up into an involuntary smile as he nods, his bangs grazing the smooth skin of his forehead. Will wants to kiss him. ”Then let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> "never make a decision when you need to pee." - leonard cohen


End file.
